"Old man, are you crazy?"
Xie Yu looked up and met Xie Yuan's sinister eyes.
He instantly fell silent and obediently stood aside, not daring to say a word. His hand kept rubbing his butt, which still ached from the kick.
"Xie Yu, what are you doing here?"
"Father, today is the day I'm supposed to return to the mansion. Have you forgotten?"
Seeing his father's sour expression, Xie Yu knew he hadn't been likable just now. The old man must have encountered some tough problems, which was why he was so irritable.
Although Xie Yuan had never shown a kind face to Xie Yu.
"Father, if there's anything, you can tell me."
"You?"
"Father, what's with that look in your eyes? I'm your real flesh and blood. Yet you've always treated that outsider better than me."
Xie Yuan gave his good - for - nothing son a disdainful glance and said, "Most of the Xie family's fortune has been spent on raising you, you unfilial brat. Look at yourself. You're already grown up, but you've achieved nothing in the family business. Now, look at Xiao An. He's only fifteen at most. I, Xie Yuan, have never given him any good resources. I only sent him to the Misty Rain Tower. But look at you and then look at Xie An. As the eldest legitimate son, do you even have the nerve to compare yourself with him?"
Just thinking about this made Xie Yuan furious. Guided by a master, he had learned that Xie An was a prodigy, so he had brought the boy back to the Xie Mansion, hoping that there would be one more capable person in the family in the future.
However, Xie Yuan still favored Xie Yu because he had raised Xie Yu with his own hands since childhood.
Maybe because the Xie family had spoiled Xie Yu too much since childhood, he had developed the character of a playboy who was fearless.
"Isn't it just being promoted two levels in a year? What's so special about that? I just don't want to—"
"Shut up!"
Being promoted two levels in a year, combined with the snake's age, such growth was enough to draw the attention of the four great families. But his stupid son, Xie Yu, still looked so nonchalant, not caring about anything.
Xie Yu obediently closed his mouth.
After venting his anger, Xie Yuan said in a muffled voice, "The Disciples' Joint Tournament will be held in a few days. Our Xie family is the host, so we must organize it well. Do you understand?"
"What's so difficult about that? Our Xie family has hosted it every time. Father, why do you look so tense?"
Xie Yuan sighed.
Looking at the Xie family retainers behind him, he said, "But this time is different. It is said that among the inner - door disciples of the Wang family, besides Fei Yang from the Extreme Cold Hall, Nan Feng, the lord of the Mysterious Light Mansion, is also coming."
The lord of the Mysterious Light Mansion?
Was it Nan Feng, one of the Wang family's outstanding inner - door disciples, whose rank was one level higher than Fei Yang's?
If there were no surprises, Nan Feng should be only fourteen this year, also a young man. His most proficient skill was the Mysterious Mist Claw, and his rank should be a fourth - stage spiritual pharmacist at the Mysterious Level.
Beside Nan Feng, there was also a monster, the Four - Elephant Stone White Tiger, a fierce monster.
This young man named Nan Feng was much more difficult to deal with than Fei Yang.
"Nan Feng, what's he doing here? Every time he comes, he stays in our Xie Mansion for a long time. When he leaves, he always takes some precious things from our family. The Wang family always turns a blind eye to this."
"If it were in the past, it wouldn't matter if he took some precious things. But this time, he's coming for our Xie family."
"Coming for our Xie family? Why?"
Xie Yuan sighed and then looked at a couple in the corner.
When the couple saw the head of the Xie family looking at them, they quickly lowered their heads and didn't dare to make a sound.
Xie Yu understood at a glance.
"Was it that kid, Snake, again?"
"Yes."
Snake was silent and rarely caused trouble. But for some reason, in the last year when they were promoted to fourth - level students, Snake was supposed to be the most outstanding disciple and should have received assignments from the four great families to earn spiritual stones.
But in the face of interests, he actually ignored them and instead joined a gang called Shui Yunsheng.
Normally, such small gangs were just for fun for the kids from the Misty Rain Tower and would automatically dissolve after graduation. But this Shui Yunsheng seemed different.
Moreover, Snake seemed to have devoted a lot of effort to this Shui Yunsheng.
As a result, instead of taking the assignment, he stayed in the Misty Rain Tower to protect the students one level younger than him.
The one who came to distribute the assignment that time was Nan Feng.
Nan Feng, who had been humiliated, must have hated Snake.
And since Snake was sent to the Misty Rain Tower by the Xie family, this stingy Nan Feng would surely take this out on the Xie family.
"Father, didn't you say that Snake is already a fourth - stage spiritual pharmacist? Why should we be afraid of Nan Feng?"
"Naive, Xie Yu. You're going to inherit my fortune in the future. Can you use your brain? Is it Fei Yang and Nan Feng that we should be afraid of? It's the Wang family behind them. Can our Xie family afford to provoke the Wang family?"
Xie Yu didn't dare to say a word.
If he said something, he would only be wrong.
"It's a pity. Our Xie family has power south of the Huai River, but we're at a disadvantage because there's no alchemist in our mansion. Otherwise, we wouldn't have been bullied by an inner - door disciple of the Xie family and stepped on so easily."
At this time, Xie Yu quickly said, "Father, I've brought an alchemist back this time. Then we—"
"What good alchemist can you bring back? At most, it's a second - rank one. You're good - for - nothing. Don't cause trouble for me."
The Xie family south of the Huai River was not a small force.
Although second - rank alchemists were rare, they couldn't solve the current predicament of the Xie family.
"Father, are you so sure that the alchemist I brought back is a second - rank one?"
Seeing his stupid son, Xie Yu, looking so proud, Xie Yuan became more serious. Then he asked carefully, "Could it be a third - rank one?"
Xie Yu shook his head and then held up four fingers.
"A fourth - rank one?"
"Yes!"
"Where is the senior?"
"He'll be here soon."
Xie Yuan's face became very serious, even more nervous than before.
"Really?"
"Father, how dare I lie to you? I don't want to die."
Xie Yuan pushed Xie Yu away and said, "Stinky brat, you've finally done something decent."
Then, everyone in the meeting hall got excited.
"My lord, I'll immediately arrange a room. I'll make sure the senior doesn't live in a shabby place."
"Hurry up. Steward Han, you immediately prepare the most precious spiritual herbs of our Xie family. You must persuade the senior to become our family's honorary guest."
"Yes, I'll do it right away."
"Also, select the most well - behaved servants and maids in our family and send them to the senior's room to serve him."